Enhanced redirection handling from policy server

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for directing a mobile device user with insufficient mobile credit to secondary pay sites. A PCRF receives a request from a mobile device corresponding to a user. The PCRF detects credit associated with a user mobile network usage account is below a threshold and assigns a tag to the request, the tag including redirect site information and secondary site information, the redirect site information including at least one network identifier corresponding to a redirect site and the secondary site information including at least one network identifier corresponding to a payment site accessible by the user when the credit associated with the user mobile network usage account is below the threshold. The PCRF transmits the request and the corresponding tag to a PCEF for routing the user to the at least one of the redirect site and the at least one payment site.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/130,871, filed Mar. 10, 2015, entitled“Enhanced Redirection Handling from Policy Server,” the contents ofwhich is incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to computerized methodsand apparatuses for redirection handling in a telecommunicationsnetwork.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, Redirect-Information Attribute-Value Pairs (AVPs) havebeen used to redirect users who have exceeded their allotted quota in amobile network data plan. The Redirect-Information AVP only identifiesthe Internet Protocol (IP) address or the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)of the redirect server. Any other URLs or IP addresses that the userneeds to visit in order to purchase additional quota is currently notcommunicated in this AVP. In order to allow the user to visit thesecondary sites, the operator typically configures some static rules ona Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) in order to free ratethe traffic that is destined to (or originating from) these secondarysites. This forces the operator to always manage and maintain thisstatic configuration on the PCEF. This can become cumbersome as theoperator would have to configure these static rules on each PCEFwhenever the operator signs up contracts with other resellers (as eachof the resellers would have their own redirect URLs and secondarysites).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for directing a mobile deviceuser with insufficient mobile credit to secondary pay sites. In someembodiments, the systems and methods include receiving, by a PolicyControl and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), a request from a mobiledevice corresponding to a user, the request including a URL. In someembodiments, the systems and methods include detecting, by the PCRF, acredit associated with a user mobile network usage account is below athreshold. In some embodiments, the systems and methods includeassigning, by the PCRF, a tag to the request, the tag including redirectsite information and secondary site information, the redirect siteinformation including at least one network identifier corresponding to aredirect site and the secondary site information including at least onenetwork identifier corresponding to a payment site accessible by theuser when the credit associated with the user mobile network usageaccount is below the threshold. In some embodiments, the systems andmethods include transmitting, by the PCRF, the request and thecorresponding tag to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF)for routing the user to the at least one of the redirect site and the atleast one payment site.

In some embodiments, the tag further includes at least one of arestriction filter rule, the restriction filter rule associated with atleast one payment site such that traffic associated with the paymentsite is not blocked. In some embodiments, the restriction filter rule isassociated with a restriction filter ID, the restriction filter IDassociated with a restriction filter rule preconfigured on the PCEF. Insome embodiments, the request further includes a credit control requestupdate (CCR-U) message, the CCR-U message including usage informationassociated with the user. In some embodiments, the CCR-U message furtherincludes at least one of information about a subscription ID, thesubscription ID identifying the user; and information about a usedservice ID, the used service ID indicating an amount of quota used sincea service associated with the user became active. In some embodiments,the PCEF is co-located with a packet data network gateway (PGW). In someembodiments, the tag comprises at least one attribute-value pair (AVP).In some embodiments, the tag further includes at least one of aredirection enablement status; and a redirect address type, the redirectaddress type associated with at least one of an IPv4 address, IPv6address or a URL. In some embodiments, the network identifier comprisesat least one of an IP address and a URL. In some embodiments, thethreshold is associated with the user having 10% or less creditremaining in the user mobile network usage account.

These and other capabilities of the disclosed subject matter will bemore fully understood after a review of the following figures, detaileddescription, and claims. It is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of description andshould not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Various objectives, features, and advantages of the disclosed subjectmatter can be more fully appreciated with reference to the followingdetailed description of the disclosed subject matter when considered inconnection with the following drawings, in which like reference numeralsidentify like elements.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a networked system, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing sending and receiving of messages betweenPGW and PCRF, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing sending and receiving of messages betweenPGW, PCRF and backend billing system, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing routing of a user to a redirect siteand a secondary pay site using AVP and PCEF.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing routing of a user to a redirect siteand a secondary pay site using AVP, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating routing of a user to a redirect siteand a secondary pay site, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the routing of a user, by a PCRF, toa redirect site and a secondary pay site, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for directing customersto redirect or secondary payment sites. In some embodiments, instead ofmanually establishing rules in an enforcement engine for every newcustomer or reseller, a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), whichacts as a Policy Decision Point, can dynamically provide thisinformation to the enforcement engine.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a networked system 100, according tosome embodiments. System 100 includes user equipment (UE) 102, evolvednode B (eNodeB) 104, mobility management entity (MME) 106, servinggateway (SGW) module 108, policy and charging rules function (PCRF) 110,packet data network gateway (PGW) 112, backend billing system (BS) 114,gigabit wireless (Gi) network 116, attribute value pairs (AVP) 120,policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) 122, redirect site 130,and secondary pay site 132.

UE 102 connects to the networked system 100 through eNodeB 104. UE 102includes computing devices configured to connect to a mobile datanetwork (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, laptops). eNodeB 104 is a radiopart of a cell site. A single eNodeB 104 may contain several radiotransmitters, receivers, control sections and power supplies. eNodeB 104can be backhauled to MME 106 and SGW 108. Backhaul is a process oftransferring packets or communication signals over relatively longdistances to a separate location for processing. SGW 108 routes andforwards user data packets, while also acting as the mobility anchor fora user plane during inter-eNodeB handovers. MME 106 is a control node inthe networked system 100. MME 106 handles the LTE related control planesignaling that also includes mobility and security functions for UE 102that attaches to the LTE Radio network. MME 106 also handles UE being inidle mode, including support for Tracking area management and pagingprocedures.

When a UE 102 attaches to the network, multiple control messages areexchanged between network elements in order to create a data session(e.g., a 4G session) and provide data connectivity to the UE 102. Asexplained above, eNodeB 104 can be backhauled to MME 106 and SGW 108.SGW 108 routes and forwards user packets to PGW 112. PGW 112 can act asa Policy Enforcement Point (PEP). PGW 112 communicates with PCRF 110,which can download policy information that is specific to a subscriber.PCRF acts as a Policy Decision Point (PDP). At the time of sessioncreation, PCRF 110 can request PGW 112 to track usage information for aspecific session and inform PCRF 110 when a usage threshold is reached.Usage information can include an allotted quota corresponding to UE 102(e.g., mobile data credit amount) and can be configured to a set amount.In some embodiments, PCRF can be connected to a backend billing system(BS) 114. As described in more detail below, BS 114 can communicate userbilling information to PCRF 110.

In some embodiments, PCRF 110 includes one or more AVPs 120. Asdescribed in more detail below, PCRF 110 can use one or more AVPs tocommunicate information regarding redirection of a request when a usagethreshold is reached. In some embodiments, PGW 112 can include PCEF 122.PCEF 122 enforces policy decisions received from PCRF 110.

PGW 112 also provides UE 102 with connections to external packet datanetworks through Gi Network 116. When a user exhausts his allowed quota,PCRF 110 instructs PCEF 122 to redirect the application traffic to aredirected URL 130. Upon redirection, the portal simply states that theuser has reached his credit limit and that he needs to fill up(recharge) his quota by purchasing more quota. The process of purchasingnew quota typically requires the user to click on an additional linkthat takes the user to a secure http site 132 where the user can eitherenter his/her credit card information or bank account information inorder to pay for the transaction. Those IP addresses and the URLs thatthe user has to visit (also referred to herein as a network identifier)in order to recharge his quota are collectively referred to as secondarysites herein.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing sending and receiving of messages betweenPGW and PCRF when a usage threshold is reached, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2A shows SGW 108, PGW 112,PCRF 110, session setup status 200, message sent from PGW to PCRF 202,and message sent from PCRF to PGW 204.

Session setup status 200 shows that UE 102 is able to first successfullyattach to the network. As part of a network-attach procedure, PCRF 110assigns a specific usage threshold for UE 102 and requests the PCEF 122to contact PCRF 110 when the UE's usage reaches an assigned usagethreshold. After a successful network attachment, PGW can determine whena usage threshold is reached. When a usage threshold is reached, PGW112, which includes PCEF 122, sends a credit control request update(CCR-U) message 202 to PCRF 110 and communicates the usage informationto PCRF 110. Briefly, CCR-U message includes information about thesubscription-id, which identifies the subscriber, and used-service-id,which indicates the amount of quota used since the service becameactive. When PCRF 110 determines that the said user has exceeded hisallowed quota, it sends a credit control answer (CCA) message 204 toinstruct PGW 112 to redirect the user to a portal so that the user canpurchase more quota. Briefly, a CCA message includes information aboutthe redirection URL, which can be the address of the portal that theuser would be redirected to in order to purchase additional quota. Insome embodiments, a portal includes an application that allows a user tolink to sites that are free-rated, such as a redirect site or a paymentsite. In some embodiments, the redirect site is the first webpage thatthe user is redirected to. From there, the user can follow links andaccess other secondary sites as well.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing sending and receiving of messages betweenPGW, PCRF and backend billing system when a usage threshold is reached,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2B showsSGW 108, PGW 112, PCRF 110, BS 114, session setup status 210, messagesent from PGW to PCRF 212, message sent from BS to PCRF 214, and messagesent from PCRF to PGW 216.

Session setup status 210 indicates that UE has successfully attached tothe network. After initial network attachment, BS 114 can determine whena user has exceeded an allotted quota. In some embodiments, BS 114 ispart of an operations support system and it is provisioned with theallocated quota information for each user. BS 114 dynamically keepstrack of the usage of this quota for each individual user and when auser exceeds the provisioned quota, it instructs the PCRF 110 toredirect the user. In some embodiments, the allotted quota is associatedwith a user depleting all credit associated with a mobile network usageaccount. In some embodiments, the allotted quota is associated withusing a portion of the credit in a mobile network usage account (e.g.,10% or less credit remaining). When the backend billing system 114determines that the said user has exceeded the allowed quota, BS 114 cancommunicate this information 214 to PCRF 110. Based on this information214, PCRF 100 detects that a credit associated with a user mobilenetwork usage account decreases below a threshold, which PCRF 100 inturn can send a re-authorize request (RAR) message 216 to the PGW 112 toinstruct it to redirect the user to a portal so that the user canpurchase more quota. PGW 112 sends a re-authorize answer (RAA) 212 inresponse to the RAR.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a traditional redirection ofapplication traffic to a redirect URL and a secondary pay site. FIG. 3shows PCRF 110, redirect information AVP 302, PCEF 122, redirect site130 and secondary pay site 132.

PCRF 110 provides redirection information to PCEF 122 by sendingredirect information AVP 302 over a DIAMETER based Gx interface.Redirect information AVP includes the following information:

Redirect-Information ::= < AVP Header: 1085 > [ Redirect-Support ]  [Redirect-Address-Type ] [ Redirect-Server-Address ] *[ AVP ]

Redirect information AVP 302 is a grouped AVP that communicates thefollowing information:

1) Redirect-Support AVP (also referred to herein as redirectionenablement status)—This attribute conveys whether redirection is enabledor disabled.

2) Redirect-Address-Type AVP—This attribute conveys whether thespecified redirect server address is an IPv4 address or an IPv6 addressor an URL.

3) Redirect-Server-Address AVP—This attribute conveys the address of theredirect server.

Redirect information AVP 302 only identifies the IP address or the URLof the redirect server 130. Any other URLs or IP addresses that the userneeds to visit in order to purchase additional quota 132 is currentlynot communicated in redirect site AVP 302. In order to allow the user tovisit secondary sites 132, an operator typically configures some staticrules 304 on the PCEF 122 in order to free rate the traffic that isdestined to (or originating from) these secondary sites. This forces theoperator to always manage and maintain this static configuration on thePCEF 122. This can become cumbersome as the operator would have toconfigure these static rules on each PCEF whenever the operator signs upcontracts with other resellers (as each of the resellers would havetheir own redirect URLs and secondary sites).

FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing redirection of application traffic toa redirect URL and a secondary pay site using AVP, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 shows enhanced redirectinformation AVP 402, restricted access list AVP 404, PCEF 122, redirectsite 130 and secondary pay site 132.

PCRF 110 provides enhanced redirect information AVP 402 and restrictedaccess list AVP 404 to PCEF 122. The combination of enhanced redirectinformation AVP 402 and restricted access list AVP 404 allows PCRF 110to communicate both redirect server information and secondary siteinformation to PCEF 122 over the DIAMETER based Gx interface. Enhancedredirect information AVP 402 and restricted access list AVP 404 (alsoreferred to herein as a tag to the user request) are shown below:

Redirect-Information ::= < AVP Header: 1085 > [ Redirect-Support ] [Redirect-Address-Type ] [ Redirect-Server-Address ] [Restricted-Access-List] *[ AVP ] Restricted-Access-List ::= <AVPHeader:: xxx>  [Restriction-Filter-Rule] *[Restriction-Filter-Id]*[Redirect-Server]

Enhanced redirect information AVP 402 communicates Redirect-Support,Redirect-Address-Type, and Redirect-Server-Address, similar toinformation communicated in redirect information AVP 302. Enhancedredirect information AVP 402 also includes Restricted-Access-List. TheRestricted-Access-List AVP is a grouped AVP that constitutes of thefollowing AVPs:

1) Restriction-Filter-Rule AVP—This attribute allows the PCRF to providefilter rules that match secondary sites so that the user cansuccessfully refill quota without the matching traffic getting blocked.In some embodiments, all users who have purchased service from the samereseller would use the same set of restriction filter rules.2) Restriction-Filter-Id AVP—This attribute allows the PCRF tocommunicate the id of a filter rule that is preconfigured on the PCEF.In some embodiments, an operator can provision a list of rules thatcover all redirect sites and secondary sites on the PCEF and keep themin disabled state. At a later point in time, the PCRF can then enablethese static rules on a per session basis.3) Redirect-Server AVP—This grouped attribute allows the PCEF to specifyeither the IP address or the URL of a secondary site.

Including a restricted access list AVP allows an operator to configurethe redirect server as well as the secondary site information only onthe PCRF network element. PCRF can then dynamically communicate thisinformation to all the PCEF elements in the network via the DIAMETERprotocol on the Gx interface. This alleviates the need for the operatorto configure the secondary site information on the PCEF. This reducesthe configuration burden on the operator. For example, in a typicalwireless network, there are generally a lot more PCEF network elementsthan PCRF elements. PCRF is a central policy decision point. Byprovisioning the portal and secondary site information in PCRF, PCRF candynamically provide this information to all the PCEF network elementsthat it communicates with. When an operator introduces new PCEF elementsinto their network, they do not have to worry about provisioning thisinformation in each PCEF element that is introduced in the network.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating routing of a user to a redirect siteand a secondary pay site, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

In step 501, UE 102 is attempting to go to a websitehttp://www.somewebsite.com. In step 502, when PCEF 122 receives thispacket, it recognizes that UE 102 was set to be in redirect mode by thePCRF network element. As a result, in step 503, PCEF 122 responds tothis HTTP request with a 302 response code along withwww.redirectsite.com as the Location. In step 504, when the web browseron UE 102 receives this message, it makes a second GET request to thewebsite specified in the Location field, which in this example iswww.redirectsite.com. In step 505, when the redirect site 130 receivesthis request, it responds with a 200 OK response and sends the top levelwebpage that also contains a HREF (HTTP Reference) to a recharge website132 that the user needs to visit in order to fill up the quota. In step506, user clicks this link to get to the URL www.rechargesite.com. Instep 507, when PCEF 122 receives this request, it sees that the websitethat UE 102 is attempting to go to, which is www.rechargesite.com, isspecified as one of the restriction filter rules by the PCRF, meaningthat www.recharsite.com is an authorized site. PCEF 122 therefore allowsthe traffic to go to the recharge website 132. In step 508, when therecharge website receives the HTTPS request, it sends a 200 OK responseand serves the top level webpage for this web site.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the routing of a user, by a PCRF, toa redirect site and a secondary pay site, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure.

In step 601, PCRF receives a communication involving a request from amobile device corresponding to a user. PCEF sends this communication toPCRF when it detects that UE has reached the usage threshold that wasset for this UE by the PCRF when UE attaches to the network.

In step 602, PCRF detects that UE has reached the configured quota.Depending on the type of the plan a subscriber has signed up for,operator configures a maximum usage quota for each subscriber. Thisinformation is provisioned in the back end billing system. When a useris in the process of initial attachment to the network, the PCRFcommunicates with the billing system to get the quota information forthe subscriber. PCRF uses this information to determine if the quotausage of a UE has reached the configured value. Once UE reaches theconfigured quota, UE is required to purchase additional quota before UEcan successfully use the network for user traffic. As described above,UE can use the network for free-rated traffic associated with reaching asecondary site.

In step 603, PCRF sets UE in redirect mode and assigns UE a redirectsite and secondary site information. As described above, redirect siteand secondary site can be specified in an enhanced redirect informationAVP 402 and a restricted access list AVP 404.

In step 604, PCRF communicates this information back to the PCEF in aCCA message. Upon receipt of this message, PCEF redirects any HTTPrequests that originate from the UE to the portal communicated by thePCRF in step 604. After visiting the portal, the user can follow a linkon the portal and access a redirect site or a secondary site. User canthen purchase additional quota in order to continue using the network.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forthregarding the systems and methods of the disclosed subject matter andthe environment in which such systems and methods may operate, etc., inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed subjectmatter. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that thedisclosed subject matter may be practiced without such specific details,and that certain features, which are well known in the art, are notdescribed in detail in order to avoid unnecessary complication of thedisclosed subject matter. In addition, it will be understood that theembodiments provided below are illustrative, and that it is contemplatedthat there are other systems and methods that are within the scope ofthe disclosed subject matter.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in digitalelectronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware,including the structural means disclosed in this specification andstructural equivalents thereof, or in combinations of them. The subjectmatter described herein can be implemented as one or more computerprogram products, such as one or more computer programs tangiblyembodied in an information carrier (e.g., in a machine readable storagedevice), or embodied in a propagated signal, for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus (e.g., aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple computers). A computerprogram (also known as a program, software, software application, orcode) can be written in any form of programming language, includingcompiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form,including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. Acomputer program does not necessarily correspond to a file. A programcan be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data,in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiplecoordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, subprograms, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to beexecuted on one computer or on multiple computers at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification, includingthe method steps of the subject matter described herein, can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions of the subject matter describedherein by operating on input data and generating output. The processesand logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus of the subjectmatter described herein can be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processor of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. Information carrierssuitable for embodying computer program instructions and data includeall forms of nonvolatile memory, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices); magnetic disks, (e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks); magneto optical disks; and optical disks (e.g., CD and DVDdisks). The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, the subject matter describedherein can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., aCRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, fordisplaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device,(e.g., a mouse or a trackball), by which the user can provide input tothe computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide forinteraction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback, (e.g., visual feedback,auditory feedback, or tactile feedback), and input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computingsystem that includes a back end component (e.g., a data server), amiddleware component (e.g., an application server), or a front endcomponent (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface ora web browser through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described herein), or any combination of such backend, middleware, and front end components. The components of the systemcan be interconnected by any form or medium of digital datacommunication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communicationnetworks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network(“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

It is to be understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limitedin its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The disclosed subject matter is capable ofother embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in variousways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the disclosed subject matter. It isimportant, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including suchequivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spiritand scope of the disclosed subject matter.

Although the disclosed subject matter has been described and illustratedin the foregoing illustrative embodiments, it is understood that thepresent disclosure has been made only by way of example, and thatnumerous changes in the details of implementation of the disclosedsubject matter may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the disclosed subject matter, which is limited only by the claimswhich follow.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of directing a mobile device userwith insufficient mobile credit to secondary pay sites, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function(PCRF), a request from a mobile device corresponding to a user, therequest including a URL; detecting, by the PCRF, a credit associatedwith a user mobile network usage account is below a threshold;assigning, by the PCRF, a tag to the request, the tag including redirectsite information and secondary site information, the redirect siteinformation including at least one network identifier corresponding to aredirect site and the secondary site information including at least onenetwork identifier corresponding to a payment site accessible by theuser when the credit associated with the user mobile network usageaccount is below the threshold; and transmitting, by the PCRF, therequest and the corresponding tag to a Policy and Charging EnforcementFunction (PCEF) for routing the user to the at least one of the redirectsite and the at least one payment site.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the tag further includes at least one of a restriction filterrule, the restriction filter rule associated with at least one paymentsite such that traffic associated with the payment site is not blocked.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the restriction filter rule isassociated with a restriction filter ID, the restriction filter IDassociated with a restriction filter rule preconfigured on the PCEF. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the request further includes a creditcontrol request update (CCR-U) message, the CCR-U message includingusage information associated with the user.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein the CCR-U message further includes at least one of: informationabout a subscription ID, the subscription ID identifying the user; andinformation about a used service ID, the used service ID indicating anamount of quota used since a service associated with the user becameactive.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the PCEF is co-located with apacket data network gateway (PGW).
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thetag comprises at least one attribute-value pair (AVP).
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the tag further includes at least one of: a redirectionenablement status; and a redirect address type, the redirect addresstype associated with at least one of an IPv4 address, IPv6 address or aURL.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network identifier comprisesat least one of an IP address and a URL.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the threshold is associated with the user having 10% or lesscredit remaining in the user mobile network usage account.
 11. A systemfor directing a mobile device user with insufficient mobile credit tosecondary pay sites, the system comprising: a processor; and memorycoupled to the processor and including computer-readable instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: receive, bya Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), a request from amobile device corresponding to a user, the request including a URL;detect, by the Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), acredit associated with a user mobile network usage account is below athreshold; assign, by the Policy Control and Charging Rules Function(PCRF), a tag to the request, the tag including redirect siteinformation and secondary site information, the redirect siteinformation including at least one network identifier corresponding to aredirect site and the secondary site information including at least onenetwork identifier corresponding to a payment site accessible by theuser when the credit associated with the user mobile network usageaccount is below the threshold; and transmit, by the Policy Control andCharging Rules Function (PCRF), the request and the corresponding tag toa Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) for routing the userto the at least one of the redirect site and the at least one paymentsite.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tag further includes atleast one of a restriction filter rule, the restriction filter ruleassociated with at least one payment site such that traffic associatedwith the payment site is not blocked.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the restriction filter rule is associated with a restrictionfilter ID, the restriction filter ID associated with a restrictionfilter rule preconfigured on the PCEF.
 14. The system of claim 11,wherein the request further includes a credit control request update(CCR-U) message, the CCR-U message including usage informationassociated with the user.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the CCR-Umessage further includes at least one of: information about asubscription ID, the subscription ID identifying the user; andinformation about a used service ID, the used service ID indicating anamount of quota used since a service associated with the user becameactive.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the PCEF is co-located witha packet data network gateway (PGW).
 17. The system of claim 11, whereinthe tag comprises at least one attribute-value pair (AVP).
 18. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the tag further includes at least one of: aredirection enablement status; and a redirect address type, the redirectaddress type associated with at least one of an IPv4 address, IPv6address or a URL.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the networkidentifier comprises at least one of an IP address and a URL.
 20. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the threshold is associated with the userhaving 10% or less credit remaining in the user mobile network usageaccount.